Chereads / Keepers of Stone / Chapter 15 - Chapter Fifteen

Chapter 15 - Chapter Fifteen

Sybil's P.O.V.

The heat was horrid. I am back in this dream again? The one where the first time I was here, I was certain I was melting to death. This time the heat was manageable. It was highly annoying, but manageable. My eyes squinted ahead. What the hell was that?

I walked towards this huge metal gate. There was this marking on the gate that made me stop. It looked like someone being stabbed through the body with a ragged spear. The pain of the person's face was etched onto the image in great detail. It was horrific and chilled me down to the core. It wasn't until that moment that I heard these terrifying wails of pain and suffering. 

My eyes widened as my feet took me past the gate and towards the edge of this cliff. A soft scream escaped my mouth before I covered my mouth with my hand. Lava. A boiling and hot sea of molting lava. That wasn't what had shocked me. It was the people in it that rocked me to my core. 

The more I saw the faces of those who had suffered I got flashes of images. I couldn't look away. A woman popped a deadly combination of pills into her mouth as she held an infant in her arms. There was a man who stood over a small young woman who was gravely injured. She was choking on her own blood as her father kept beating her. 

"Stop! You'll kill her!" I yelled. 

No use. More images played. I screamed in agony as I saw a teenage boy take a sharp night against his neck's skin. An elderly man swapping the barrel of a shotgun. I forced myself to look away before I could see the final result. 

My body fell to the ground as I stared at my hands on the ground. Tears fell against the back of my hand. Please— make it stop….

Someone was shaking me desperately. My eyes snapped open to see a worried look on Heath's face. Alexander has a similar gaze. A shutter of a breath fell from my lips. My bottom lip quivered as I lunged at Heath and buried my head into his chest. I sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed. I can't say for certain how long I stayed like this. 

Heath pulled away from me and gently cupped the side of my face. 

"What happened?" He asked softly. 

"I— I saw these things. A gate, lava, all— all these people suffering. I saw how they all died Heath. There was so much sadness." I sobbed. 

He gently pulled me to himself as he rubbed my back. 

"This only further proves she is my mate Alexander. She was able to pass by the gate. Only members of my lineage or a mate can do such a task." He said.

That made me stop. I stopped crying and separated myself from Heath. I looked up at Alexander. They looked at me with a look I could not describe. 

"Mate?" I asked. 

Alex was the one to step forward. He seemed to swell with what I assumed was a form of pride. I have read about mates, but only in fictional novels. 

"Yes Princess, our mate. As your mates, we would like you to move in here with us as well. That is, if you will." He spoke. 

Two things I realized, one: I had not one— but two mates. The second thing was these stunning men wanted me to move in with them. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding in. I leapt into their arms in pure happiness as I gladly told them I would! I gasped and pulled back. 

"I have to tell my father." I whispered. 

Heath seemed to nod at my words and gently pulled me back into bed with him. I curled up against his hot skin just as Alex came up behind me as they carefully engulfed me in themselves. I found myself drifting back off to sleep. 

Boa's P.O.V 

Calliope was gone from us. It hurt me, but I've learned not to get too attached. She was different. We were like best friends. Two souls couldn't have been more alike- yet also different. I may be the more brooding and stand off type of person, but she was different. It may have been her elemental nature. 

Dryads were known to be kind and loving. They valued life above most things. She said she missed her home more and more when she was away. I could see it in her. That longing to be where you grew up. Even though she had kindness she was a force to be reckoned with.

She had massive potential when it came to her abilities. However, she never wanted to enhance them out of fear of her true abilities. The full extent of her powers can be found horrific to others. The show of power can be intimidating and dangerous to those who take advantage of it. She never wanted that to occur. 

That was all of our burdens. Power is our curse. We were overflowing with it. If someone else were able to have our abilities and they had ill intentions, then things could be catastrophic. Calliope, for example, they could sprout poison spores throughout the entire realm. She was scared of that greed that could take her over. 

I sighed as I placed a book back on the shelf. I will admit— hearing Calliope was gone made me focus on Sybil. It was a needed distraction. If I could teach her how to master her abilities, maybe she could defend herself like Calliope couldn't. This was what I could do at that moment. 

I've learned a lot about sirens in the past few hours. Speed reading was one of my gifts. It was something about grasping all of this knowledge in an instant that drew me in. I sat down in this old chair in the center of the room. 

I couldn't explain it. However, I feel like something big is about to unfold. If we aren't ready, I feel we are all doomed. Just as I shut my eyes I heard a crash. My head snapped up and I felt my eyes focus on the door. My feet stealthily crept over to the door. 

I used my hand to gently pry open the door. I sighed as I realized who it was. 

"Sybil. You shouldn't be sneaking up on others." I reprimanded her. 

She didn't respond. My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She was naked. Not that she wasn't beautiful, but it was a surprise. I called her name once more, but she kept walking. Is she sleep walking? I left the library to follow her movements. She was slowly moving down the hallway in a daze. Definitely sleep walking. 

I was about to lead her back to Heath's room, but she started making her way down stairs. Where was she going? She couldn't know where the door was because none of us had shown her the way. I slowly walked behind her, careful not to crowd or spook her.

The stairs eventually led to a tunnel underground. Quite frankly, I don't know how she managed the coldness. I breathed out only to see a puff of smoke come from my mouth. Up ahead was the doorway. I stared at it for a bit. 

It was a door made entirely of what seemed to be glass. Only you couldn't see through. A thick foggy mist clouded through it, blocking any chance of seeing anything. Gold handles were elegantly placed on the door. It accentuated it perfectly. Then I gasped softly. 

Sybil reached her hand out to touch the door. I lunged to make her stop but I was too late. When her hand touched the handle a blinding light emitted from the crack of the doors. I stared wide-eyed as Sybil gasped and her eyes shot open. In an instant a tendril of darkness seeped out of the door and snuck around to Sybil.

Without thinking I snatched her close to me and used my foot to kick the door shut. It slammed with an unnatural force. I panted softly as I let go of Sybil. She was quiet. I turned around to face her. She was white as a sheet. Her eyes bore into mine. 

"This is just the start." She said, 

All in the span of a second, I watched in shock as Sybil's eyes drifted shut as her body went completely limp. I moved forward and caught her body in my arms. I cradled her head as I shook her gently. 

"Sybil. Sybil!" I yelled. 

It was no use. She wouldn't wake up.